The 9th day of the
month of Av (Jewish calendar) is the day when both the first and second Temples
were destroyed, the first by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E.; the second by the
Romans in 70 C.E. It is a day of fasting and mourning for religious Jews around
the world.
The destruction of
the Temple meant the destruction of the centerpiece of Judaism, tearing apart
of the foundation of Jewish culture and the Nation of Israel.
This and the exile
that followed should have been enough to eliminate the Jewish people. It
wasn’t.
2000 years did not
make the Jewish people forget.
The image people
around the world today have of the Temple Mount is that of the golden domed
mosque which was built on the ruins of the Temple in 691 C.E. Since that time
the Dome of the Rock has been a holy place for the Muslim people – although not
central to their religion. Considered the third holiest location in Islam, it
is not mentioned a single time in the Koran. In fact, the reason Al-Aqsa became
important in Islam was to further a political agenda, not a religious one (See
the historical explanation by Dr. Mordechai Kedar here ).
Within the Dome of
the Rock is the Foundation Stone, the foundation on which it is believed that
God created the earth. This was the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the
Covenant was placed, within the ancient Jewish Temple.
Although the
Nation of Israel has re-established the State of Israel we have not really
returned to the heart of our nation, the pulsing center, the source of the
holiness of Jerusalem – the Temple Mount in the heart of the capital of our
State. Jews are not allowed anywhere near the site that is most holy to us. We
may not enter the Dome of the Rock, not even to look. Ascending to the Temple
Mount is highly restricted and prayers are strictly forbidden. International
attempts are being made to deny Jewish connection to the Temple Mount and to
Jerusalem, for the same reason ancient conquerors did.
Today we mourn
what was lost to our people. Today we mourn what we have yet to regain.
This is our
legacy. Through Judaism, this is also the legacy of the Christian world. Will
we allow ourselves to be denied our roots in order so others may have our
future?
“May my tongue cleave to my mouth, if I ever think not of
thee, if I ever prize not Jerusalem above all joys!” Psalm 137